Inflammation and Chronic Health

You might be surprised to learn that common issues like acne, fatigue, and IBS actually have something in common – they’re all linked to inflammation.

While these chronic health conditions may seem unrelated, they’re often driven by the same underlying factor: inflammation in the body. This inflammation can manifest in different ways, leading to a range of seemingly distinct health problems.

Conventional medicine often fails to recognize the true nature of chronic health issues. Instead of addressing the underlying causes, it typically aims to simply suppress the symptoms.

To help put this in perspective, we can think of chronic inflammation as a slow-burning fire. We could use a lot of water and energy running around putting out spot fires, or we could remove the fuel and target the blaze itself.

Chronic inflammatory diseases have become the world’s most significant cause of death. The problem is so widespread that the World Health Organization (WHO) now ranks chronic diseases as the greatest threat to human health.

Chronic inflammatory diseases have become the world’s deadliest threat. The World Health Organization (WHO) now ranks these chronic conditions as the greatest danger to human health. In fact, at least half of all Americans suffer from at least one chronic inflammatory disease, and many have multiple inflammation-related conditions.

Around the globe, chronic inflammatory conditions – such as stroke, respiratory illnesses, heart problems, cancer, obesity, and diabetes – claim the lives of 3 out of every 5 people.

At BionwoRx, we can help you determine if inflammation is contributing to your health struggles, and guide you on the best ways to bring it under control. We’ll work with you to address the root causes and get your inflammation under control through personalized, effective solutions.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is a normal immune response that acts as a defense mechanism. Acute inflammation can help the body start healing after an injury, such as a burn or impact, as well as in response to pathogens, allergens, and irritants. It can also occur when the body reacts to certain foods or damaged cells.

If you’ve ever had a hard bump or burn, you may have noticed swelling, redness, pain, and heat. These are the physical signs of inflammation, which happens when blood rushes to the affected area. This releases the protective components of white blood cells, which remove damaged cells and begin the healing process.

The initial process aims to restore homeostasis and allow the inflammation to subside. However, this doesn’t always happen.

When the body can no longer mount an adequate immune response to heal the damage, chronic inflammation can set in, lasting for months or even years. This type of persistent inflammation often infiltrates the body’s internal organs and is at the root of many of the health conditions and diseases we see today.

At BionwoRx, we’ll work with you to pinpoint the cause of your inflammation and treat it naturally and effectively.

How do I know if I have inflammation?

Inflammation plays a key role in many chronic health issues. Certain conditions can be triggered or worsened by inflammation, while others may actually cause inflammation. This often leads to a vicious cycle.

The five classic signs of inflammation are redness, swelling, pain, heat, and limited function. But when inflammation occurs internally, these signs aren’t always obvious to us right away.

You can use a variety of blood tests to measure inflammation, including checking for C-reactive protein, homocysteine, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. However, you may start noticing symptoms of inflammation before your blood work reveals anything.

Examples of inflammatory conditions include:

What causes inflammation?

When your body can’t naturally resolve acute inflammation, it can lead to ongoing, chronic inflammation.

This can occur in several ways:

  • The aggravating agent isn’t eliminated, or the body continues to be exposed to low levels of it over time. Examples include mold in a home, inhaling chemicals at work, or regularly consuming a food you’re intolerant or allergic to, like gluten or dairy.
  • An autoimmune disorder causes the body to attack its own healthy tissue, leading to conditions like arthritis, lupus, and celiac disease.
  • A defect in the cells responsible for mediating inflammation leads to auto-inflammatory disorders.
  • Recurrent and ongoing episodes of acute inflammation create long-term, chronic inflammation.
  • Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are triggered by free radicals, uric acid, homocysteine, and other inflammatory molecules. This is often the result of lifestyle factors like poor diet, alcohol, smoking, and lack of sleep.
  • Certain medications, such as antibiotics, antacids, and NSAIDs, can lead to inflammation of the gut and body.

How can I reduce inflammation?

The secret to quelling inflammation lies in snuffing out those fiery flare-ups and restoring equilibrium to the body.

While the array of inflammatory issues may seem intricate and multifaceted, the functional medicine approach to reducing inflammation follows a very consistent pattern.

Your functional medicine practitioner can help you reduce inflammation in several ways, including:

Eating anti-inflammatory foods

When it comes to fighting inflammation through diet, focus on healthy fats. Load up on salmon, avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil, coconut oil, chia seeds, flaxseed oil, and hemp seeds. Pair those with polyphenol-rich foods like colorful, non-starchy veggies. And don’t forget antioxidant-packed options such as green tea, apples, turmeric, grapes, rosemary, broccoli, and garlic. Eating these anti-inflammatory all-stars can do wonders for your health.

Avoiding inflammatory foods

Foods that create and feed inflammation include sugar, refined carbohydrates, high-glycemic foods, hydrogenated oils, and trans fats. Think of soft drinks, lollies, breads, pasta, baked goods, dairy, processed or fried white potatoes, deep-fried foods, processed foods, preservatives, colors, and artificial flavors. Additionally, there are many other potentially inflammatory foods depending on your personal intolerances and allergies, such as gluten, grains, corn, soy, and nuts.

Natural supplements and herbs

Omega 3 EPA/DHA supplements are highly recommended to help reduce inflammation. Incorporating other natural anti-inflammatories like turmeric, white willow, boswellia, resveratrol, and cat’s claw can also be beneficial.

Restoring gut health

The gut and digestive system play a crucial role in the body’s inflammatory responses. By treating the gut, you can often achieve dramatic relief from symptoms. To restore gut health, you can modify the microbiome with probiotics and prebiotics, while also reducing inflammation with supplements like glutamine.

Avoiding alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs

It’s no surprise that avoiding alcohol and cigarettes is recommended for reducing inflammation. But what’s the science behind that?

Research shows that smoking increases inflammation by activating white blood cells called neutrophils. These cells then release molecules that trigger an inflammatory response.

Similarly, alcohol contributes to widespread inflammation throughout the body. This is because alcohol impairs the functioning of the gut and liver, and disrupts signaling in the central nervous system. These organs and systems play a critical role in detoxification and inflammatory regulation. That’s why chronic alcohol use can lead to fatty liver, hepatitis, and even organ failure.

Interestingly, even prescription and illicit opioid painkillers can create inflammatory responses in the body. Pain relievers can be particularly harsh on the gut, and also contribute to generalized systemic inflammation.

The key takeaway is that both smoking and drinking can significantly increase inflammation, while avoiding these substances can help reduce it. The science behind it has to do with how they impact critical bodily systems and processes.

Increasing sleep

Just one night of poor sleep can significantly spike inflammation in your body. While the occasional late night likely won’t cause lasting harm, ongoing sleep disturbance can drive tissue-damaging inflammation that contributes to heart disease, autoimmune disorders, obesity, and diabetes.

Managing stress

Stress triggers the release of cortisol, the hormone that drives our fight-or-flight response. This can be helpful when we need to react quickly to a physical threat. However, the mind can’t distinguish between real and perceived risks, so when stress levels stay high, cortisol continues circulating through the body. This disrupts hormone function, impairs digestion, and causes inflammation.

The good news is, practices like yoga, meditation, breathwork, and mindfulness can all help manage and reduce stress. These activities calm the mind and body, allowing you to better handle life’s challenges.

Exercising regularly

Chronic health conditions are frustrating and exhausting. Yet even when we’re feeling our worst – in pain, stiff, or fatigued – moving our bodies can actually be an effective way to reduce inflammation. The key is to start slow and steady. Just twenty minutes a day of moderate exercise has been shown to lower inflammatory markers, without risking muscle damage from overdoing it.

Our unique model of functional medicine was designed with your needs in mind. We’re here to support you in finding solutions that work for your body.

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